GVCA announces incoming president
It didn’t take long for the Grand Valley Construction Association (GVCA) to announce its incoming president.
After long-time president Martha George announced her retirement at the end of July, the association announced on August 10 that it has appointed Jeff MacIntyre, the past chair of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce, to the role.
MacIntyre joins GVCA on August 15, and will work mentor with George until her departure on October 31. The two are familiar with each other, having spent six years as founding board members of the Waterloo Region Economic Development Corporation.
“I have every respect for the past, everything this association is and has accomplished, and all the great work that Martha has done in her 16 years of service here,” says MacIntyre. “My role now is to take things forward. What I bring to the role of president is different knowledge and a different approach that will set this organization and its members up for future success.”
MacIntyre is a community builder and connector who has experience with organizations and businesses that focus on continued growth through innovation. He has held numerous leadership roles in both the public and private sectors.
As well as serving on the board of the Greater Kitchener Waterloo Chamber of Commerce for more than 15 years, he is a former board member of the Grand River Hospital Foundation. He also spearheaded the Small Business Ventures Program at Conestoga College, and founded several small businesses.
"Jeff's vision for the future is that progress is achieved by embracing change," George says. "He has demonstrated to the GVCA board that he understands the members and their objectives. I am confident that he will continue to find ways to assist them to achieve their collective goals and success."
“The COVID-19 pandemic was a prime example of how businesses discarded many legacy approaches to their operations in short order,” MacIntyre says. “Shifts don’t have to be as abrupt or as sweeping as that, but these sorts of examples can inspire us to think about ways construction can adapt itself to respond to changes among its labour pools, its adoption of technology, or even its approach to collaboration.”
He adds that he’s more than up for the challenge of leading GVCA and replacing George as a respected community and industry leader.
“I look forward to continuing to enhance the value of participation and raising GVCA's profile. Technology, talent, education, government relations, a focus on sustainability and continually finding new opportunities will keep this association relevant and allow it to continue to grow and thrive.”